Kids These Days
by munchcookies123
Summary: All she wanted was to spend some time with her best friend, but when things don't go according to plan, Vanellope decides to take matters into her own hands. With the help of her friends and fellow racers, she'll show those awful, boring adults an evening they won't forget.
1. Chapter 1

Kids These Days

Chapter 1

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"

The familiar words echoed in Ralph's head, the words he knew all too well that had caused him both misery and happiness in his lifetime.

"I CAN FIX IT!"

The mechanical _bling_ of the golden hammer raised in the air above his protagonist's head made Ralph sigh, and wish the arcade was closed already. But yet, for the relaxing night he had planned ahead, he told himself he could bear a couple more quarter alerts.

Ralph put on his usual, angry wrecking-face and punched the building with his large fists, making the brick crack and a loud thundering noise boom through the air every time his fist made contact with it. Meanwhile, Fix-It Felix was eagerly trying to repair the damage his antagonist was causing, tapping the building with his magic hammer wherever it was broken.

_Bing bing bing, bong! Bing bing bing, bong!_

The congratulatory tune sounded, and a shiny gold medal appeared in the sky, finally coming to settle around Felix's neck. He couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself, and as he signaled for the nicelanders to lift Ralph up he shot him a small, sympathetic smile. The edge of Ralph's lip tweaked upward in a half-smile and he shrugged his shoulders. Before Ralph knew it he was spinning through the air before landing flat on his face, seeing only darkness and tasting mud. But he didn't care, he was used to it.

"Okay kids, closin' time! Everybody out!" Mr. Litwak called out from the other side of the screen, making Ralph swell with happiness and relief. It had been an unusually busy day, it was one quarter alert after the other without so much as a five-minute break in between.

"All clear everyone! The arcade is now officially closed!" Yuni Berth, the main character from Dance Dance Revolution called out as usual to let everyone know.

"Ugh, it's about time." Ralph grunted as he stood up from the mud puddle and brushed himself off.

"You alright down there, brother?" Felix called from high above on the roof; his shadowed form leant over the edge of the building.

Ralph held up his thumb and forefinger in an 'O' shape and called back up to Felix, "Just perfect." He lumbered across the pavement of the front of the niceland apartment, his sights straight on his cozy little cottage.

_Just a little farther… Almost there…_

"Ralph!" Called Felix, making Ralph stop in his tracks and let out an exasperated sigh. He wondered if he was ever going to get the peaceful night off he was hoping for. He slowly turned, an impatient frown growing on his face.

"Yes, Felix?"

Felix slowed to a stop in front of Ralph and looked at him with a cheery smile. "Where are you headed?"

"Uh, home, actually." Ralph said while rubbing the back of his neck, silently hoping Felix would get the hint. No such luck.

"Well that sounds awfully lonely. Would you care to join Gene and I for a drink at Tapper's?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

Ralph opened his mouth to protest, but before he could a familiar rumbling echoed through the Fix-It Felix Jr. train tunnel.

"Uh oh."

Ralph and Felix's eyes went wide at the scene before them. A fuzzy pink blur sped out of the tunnel, doing a couple donuts around the two stunned characters leaving behind a large grey cloud of dust. The rumbling finally subsided as the object zoomed right in between them, making them both jump to the side to avoid being run over. The dust settled, and a spunky black-haired little girl jumped out of her seat and onto the hood of her candy go-kart.

"Hiya Stinkbrain! Felix!" Vanellope greeted them as she removed her fogged-up racing goggles. The two of them just sat there looking up at her with stunned expressions on their faces. "Watcha guys doin' on the ground?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Trying to avoid a game-over." Ralph grumbled as he stood up and dusted himself off for the millionth time that day. His sour disposition had no effect on Vanellope though. She only giggled at his remark and jumped off the hood of the kart.

"Need a hand, Hammer-Man?" Vanellope extended a tiny hand towards Felix, who still sat on the ground trying to process the situation. Nevertheless, he took her hand and she pulled him back up to his feet with ease, with him only being a tad bigger than she was.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you Ms. Von Schweetz?" Felix said, still in a bit of a haze but trying to shake it off.

"Okay, for like the _hundredth_ time, it's Vanellope. Just Vanellope, okay? Here, say it with me. _Vanellope._" She said with some unnecessary over-exaggerated hand motions, trying to get him to understand.

"As you were saying Felix, before we got so _rudely_ interrupted." Ralph said and pinned Vanellope with an annoyed glare, earning a loud raspberry from her in return.

"Ah, um, yes…right." Felix started, regaining his composure. "As I was saying, Gene and I are heading out to Tapper's to celebrate the day's success. We would be delighted if you would join us." Felix shot Ralph a hopeful smile.

"What about Calhoun?"

"She and Ibuki are having a ladies night at DDR. So it's just us men tonight." Felix replied with a proud grin, straightening out the collar on his already smooth blue polo.

"Actually the reason _I'm _here is because I was gonna steal Ralphie out for a little racing, oh and maybe a couple rounds of Donkey Kong… Ooo! Or, or, Joust! Or Mortal Combat! I'm in the mood for some _excitement_! How 'bout you, Stinkbrain?" Vanellope chimed in excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

Ralph internally groaned. It was one or the other; these two were never going to let him just slink back into his cottage and sleep. He rubbed his large hand over his face, just wanting to disappear and not have to deal with any of it. Ralph loved his friends, and he more than appreciated them knowing what life was like without any. He would never trade them for anything in the world, but sometimes they just drove him absolutely crazy!

"Actually, kid… I, uh… I think I'll hang out with Felix tonight. Sorry to spoil all your… _exciting _plans but, uh… we haven't spent a lot of real brotherly bonding time with each other and…" he trailed off, looking to Felix for some support. All he got though was a raised eyebrow and a confused expression from him.

Vanellope crossed her arms and pursed her lips, slowly nodding but not believing a word of it.

"So… You'll come then, Ralph?" asked Felix, looking for some real clarification. Ralph nodded furiously.

"Absolutely." He replied, and then turned to his other, more miniature best friend. "Sorry, Vanellope."

But Vanellope wasn't at all upset. She didn't understand why Ralph was acting as though they would be saying goodbye for the night. Wherever Ralph went, she went. He knew that, so why was he acting so strangely?

"Why? I'll just come with you guys if that's where you wanna go." She stated simply, and the boys looked at her with funny expressions. "What?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Von… erm, _Vanellope_. You can't come with us." Felix said with a sympathetic smile and a small shake of his head. Vanellope scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and tilted her head to the side.

"Why not?"

"Uh, hello? Earth to Candybreath? Tapper's is a _bar_ game. No minors allowed. You're outa luck, kid." Ralph replied and started towards the train station where Gene was already waiting for them, waving them over. Felix jogged after him, trying to keep up with his quick pace.

"Sorry! Maybe next time!" he shouted over his shoulder to a pouting Vanellope.

"Hmmph. So that's how they wanna play it, huh?" Vanellope said to herself, and suddenly her lips curved upward in a devilish grin. She pulled her racing goggles back over her face and jumped in her kart, revving the engine. "No minors allowed? Ha! We'll just see about that." And with that final, confident statement she zipped out of Fix-It Felix Jr., her sights set on Sugar Rush.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You guys ready?" Vanellope asked the gang of racers behind her. Her, Taffyta, Rancis, Candlehead, Gloyd, Jubileena, and Swizzle were all in their karts, parked outside the Tapper's game outlet. The engines died down and the kids jumped out of their karts.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Candlehead replied.

"Good. Taffyta, did you bring the stuff?" Vanellope asked, turning to Taffyta expectantly. Taffyta held up a black garbage bag in her hand, and a sly smile spread across her face.

"Everything you asked for." She replied tossing the bag to Vanellope so she could open it. Vanellope spilled the contents all over the floor, and everyone gathered in a tight circle around them.

"Okay everyone, huddle up." Vanellope motioned with her hands for everyone to come closer. They all wrapped their arms around each other and put their heads together. "Okay, so we've only got one shot at this." She glanced at everyone giving them stern, serious looks, but barely able to contain her own excitement.

"What if something goes wrong?" Jubileena asked worriedly.

"It won't. Not as long as we stick to the plan." Vanellope said, giving her friend a reassuring smile. Jubileena returned her smile and nodded a little more confidently. "Alright, so. The second we pass through that doorway it's going to detect us as under-aged and alert the surge protectors. The only way we're getting in is if we do it without them knowing."

"How are we gonna do that?" asked Gloyd, and Vanellope smirked at him.

"It's called the art of distraction, my friend." She said simply. "Here's what we're gonna do." Vanellope discussed the plan with her gang and they all nodded their heads, bubbling with excitement but also a bit nervous that something might go wrong. "Everybody ready?"

There was a long pause of silence, until Taffyta took a deep breath and put her hand in the middle of the circle. "Ready."

"Ready." Swizzle joined Taffyta and put his hand on top of hers.

"Me too." Candlehead put her hand on top of Swizzle's, and soon everyone started doing the same.

Vanellope put her hand on the very top of the pile with a sly smile, ready to show Ralph and the others who's boss. "Let's get 'em."

Everyone ran to their positions, Vanellope standing just outside the Tapper's portal, and her friends all in their karts, ready to floor the pedal and make a mad dash. Her heart was racing; she never thought she could be this excited and this nervous at the same time. Although Vanellope was never the kind of person to really stop and think about the consequences, so she was more excited than anything else.

"Three, two, one, NOW!"

The karts zoomed by so fast she barely saw anything but a wide blur of colors fly by her straight into the outlet. Her friends were already halfway down the tunnel when the doorway bleeped and flashed blue. The same blue that flashed when the surge protector appeared out of nowhere, with his clipboard in his hand and a stern expression on his face. Vanellope had her hand through the doorway, making it look like she was the only one who was trying to get in.

"Name?" The surge protector asked in a monotone voice.

"Vanellope Von Schweetz." She replied cheerfully, knowing the plan was going perfectly.

"Vanellope Von Schweetz… Von Schweetz…" the surge protector mumbled as he flipped through the papers on his clipboard. He frowned at the clipboard and looked up at her. "You're not old enough to get in here, little miss."

Vanellope faked a shocked expression, trying to contain her giggles.

"I'm not? Oh! Well, I suppose I'll have to do something about that." She said, a smirk slowly spreading itself across her face against her will. The surge protector scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and slight suspicion.

"Do what?" he asked slowly, his head slightly leaning in towards her as if he was trying to read her thoughts and figure her out.

"This!" Vanellope flicked his clipboard out of his hand, sending papers flying everywhere and scattering them all over the floor. The surge protector looked around frantically, waving his arms and trying to catch some of the jumbled papers. Vanellope doubled over laughing because of course he was failing miserably. He directed his attention to Vanellope, glaring at her with hard, cold, electric blue eyes.

"You little _brat_!" he shouted, tossing the messed and mixed papers behind him and storming over to Vanellope. She only laughed again and dodged his arms when he reached for her. He advanced on her again, but she easily glitched out of his reach. "Come _back_ here!"

"You have to catch me first!" Vanellope teased as she glitched to the other side of the station, quite enjoying the chase. Yep, this was perfect amount of excitement she was looking for.

The surge protector ran across the white marble floor of GCS, and when he finally caught up to her he was panting hard. Vanellope herself was a little out of breath, but she had an advantage over him. Youth. The one thing that was stopping her and her friends from even entering Tapper's. Something was definitely wrong with that picture.

"I…I've got…you…now." The surge protector said between breaths. Vanellope only smiled sweetly at him and shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. As much as I enjoyed this game of cat and mouse, there are places to go, people to see. Can't stick around playing with ya any longer chum. It's been fun! Toodles!" she snickered and glitched her way across GCS all the way to Tapper's and right through the portal. The alarm didn't even go off because she glitched through it, and it couldn't detect her.

The surge protector looked around, trying desperately to see where the child went. But he had no such luck. It was as if she had just disappeared into thin air. He wondered what that whole thing was about. He figured the kid didn't even want to go into Tapper's at all, she just wanted to mess with him. He'd been through that sort of thing before, and he certainly didn't appreciate it.

"Hmph. Kids these days." He said grumpily and vanished with a bright blue _blip_.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guyzz! So just an FYI, when the music comes on the song is 'Don't Stop the Party' by Pitbull (feat. TJR)... Hope you enjoy another chappy and leave some reviews cuz they make me happy happy! (See what i did there ;D )**

Vanellope ran as fast as her feet would carry her to the end of the tunnel, where when she heard whispering and quiet giggles and she smiled a victorious smile. Phase one of the plan was complete, time for phase two.

"Vanellope! How'd it go with the surge?" Taffyta asked as Vanellope reached her friends. They were all huddled behind the large wooden door that would lead to the bar.

"Great! Oh, you should've seen his face! He-"

"That's great and all Vanellope, but I think we should get back to the plan now." Rancis interrupted.

"Oh, right, right." Vanellope started, realizing she _was_ getting a little sidetracked. "Taffyta, the bag." The black garbage bag was placed in her hands, and she started pulling out everything they would need. The more objects she pulled out, the more she smiled and told herself what a brilliant idea this was. Vanellope pulled out a large green trench coat, long enough that it would probably even fit Ralph. "Okay, now Swizzle, get on Gloyd's shoulders."

The two did as their tiny president instructed them. "Now Rancis, you get on Swizzle's shoulders. Now you on top Juby." Vanellope said, as Jubileena grunted trying to climb up the tower of boys. Taffyta picked up the green trench coat and flung it over the stack of wobbling little racers. She buttoned it up and stood back to admire her handy work. Only Jubileena's head could be seen, and she looked normal height, if not taller. The point being, she looked like an adult, which was exactly what they were aiming for. They did the same thing with Taffyta, Vanellope and Candlehead, with only Candlehead's face shown because _somebody_ was bound to notice Vanellope as the president of Sugar Rush.

"Let's do this!" Vanellope cheered, her voice slightly muffled from the trench coat covering her face. The sound of muffled laughter could be heard from all around her, and she had to frantically shush her gang when she heard the door creak open. They wobbled around, a little out of balance when the kids on the bottom started walking. Vanellope could hear the slow steady rhythm of the Tapper's bar music, and it made her stick out her tongue and blench on the spot. How could anyone listen to this boring, sappy stuff? She was definitely going to have to make some drastic changes to the soundtrack in this place.

"Hey Tapper." Came Jubileena's voice from somewhere close by. "I've got something for you."

"What is it?" Tapper's muffled voice asked followed by the squeaking of a glass being cleaned.

"It's from Peach." Jubileena whispered. Everyone knew Tapper had a thing for Princess Peach. He tried to hide it, but somehow almost the whole arcade knew. Vanellope and her friends decided they could use that to their advantage. There was a long, silent pause, and Vanellope was considering tugging on Candlehead's pink racing jacket to get her attention and see what was going on, but then Tapper spoke.

"Come 'round to the back." He said, and Taffyta, with her eyes poking out from between two buttons on the trench coat, started to follow after him.

The stack of racers wobbled around as they tried to carefully walk to the back, pausing here and there to regain balance. Tapper glanced over his shoulder a few times, eying the two stumbling figures suspiciously. Something didn't feel right, but the curiosity of whatever Peach had to give him over rid his sense of security.

They reached the end of the long room, the strangers standing with him in the doorway to the hall that contained the restrooms. They blocked the entire doorway, their tall figures looming over him, which made him even more uneasy and anxious to get it over and done with.

"So, what's the big surprise?" Tapper asked smoothly, but his stomach was doing flips as he wrung his hands nervously.

The two strangers exchanged knowing glances, then turned to him, expressions unreadable.

"Sorry, Tapper," the one with the red hair said, and he swore he recognized her voice. Come to think of it, he recognized her face as well, but where had he seen her? He looked to the other stranger with the candle atop her head, scratching his chin and humming thoughtfully.

"Don't I know you two from some-WAH!" Tapper yelped in surprise as Jubileena tackled him to the floor. The three other racers jumped out from underneath the long trench coat, scrambling all over Tapper and trying to keep him quiet.

"Get him! Get his leg!" Jubileena whisper-shouted at Gloyd, who clung to Tapper's leg for dear life as it swung him around as if he weighed nothing at all.

"Gu-u-u-uys!" Gloyd panicked, and Candlehead quickly dropped the other trench coat she, Vanellope and Taffyta were in.

Vanellope quickly grabbed some licorice rope out of the black bag they had brought with them and shouted to the Halloween-themed racer, "I'm coming Gloyd!"

Soon they had Tapper secure with the licorice, and with a strong heave of effort from every racer, they managed to shove him in a nearby broom cupboard. The little racers gasped for breath, Vanellope and Taffyta leaned against the cupboard door while the others just sprawled themselves across the floor.

"Okay…so…time for…phase three," Vanellope breathed, tilting her head up toward the ceiling and cringing, "Let's give this old Jazz crud the boot."

"I agree," Taffyta nodded, narrowing her brow in annoyance, "because what are we, still in the 1940's?"

They crept quietly over to the sound system, not wanting to be noticed until just the right moment. Swizzle pulled out a flat, grey square-shaped object out from the black bag. It was labeled 'Dance Dance Revolution-Top 10', and Swizzle smiled triumphantly as he pulled a large black record out of it. Vanellope shot him a thumbs-up, and as he began to set up the new soundtrack, Vanellope peered over the wooden table at a certain booth in the far left corner of the room. Ralph, Felix, Gene, and Zangief were all sat there, laughing and drinking together as if they had been friends all their lives.

Even though he couldn't see her, Vanellope shot a hateful glare at Ralph. He had other friends now, ones that he would rather spend time with than her. She couldn't help but send a few jealous glances toward the other characters sitting with him in the booth, her face getting hot at how happy they all looked, having so much fun…without her.

"Hey, what happened to the music?" Someone asked, looking around in confusion. A few people nearby shrugged their shoulders, going about their business without any suspicion.

"It's ready," Swizzle whispered to Vanellope, and everyone turned their attention to the tiny president, waiting patiently for the signal.

Taffyta noticed Vanellope's red face and clenched fists, and she gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey Vin, you okay?"

Vanellope whipped her head around, nearly smacking Taffyta in the face with her ponytail. Taffyta reeled back at the look of absolute rage and envy on Vanellope's face, and she squeaked out a startled, "Vanellope?"

"Let's do this," Vanellope growled, nodding to Swizzle who gulped nervously. He'd never seen his friend so angry before, and he risked a quick glance at her as he started up the record player. Soon a steady beat began to fill the room, and a few people looked away from their conversations to see what was going on with the sudden change in music.

"Hello everyone!" Vanellope greeted happily, she was standing on one of the wooden tabletops holding a microphone in her hand, all traces of her earlier anger was gone. "Hope all of you are having a _great_ night, but I think now it's time to move away from the sleepy, sappy stuff, and get this party STARTED!"

She threw down the microphone, jumping off the table as all the other racers came out of hiding. Swizzle worked as the DJ, playing the songs and turning up the volume. The adults in the bar looked around with stunned and confused expressions on their faces, watching as all the little kids started to dance. Vanellope danced with her eyes closed, waving her arms in the air until she bumped into something. She opened her eyes and looked up into the agitated-looking face of Ralph.

"Ralph my man!" She smiled, "Come, join the party!"

"What are you _doing_ here, kid?" Ralph questioned seriously, crossing his arms and giving her a stern facial expression.

"Um, isn't it obvious?" Vanellope asked plainly, gesturing to her friends, "We're having _fun_. Unlike you, Mr. Boring, just sitting there."

Ralph narrowed his eyes, "No, I mean what are you doing _here_? Kids aren't allowed in here!"

"Yeah, well that rule just flew right out the window, didn't it?" Vanellope giggled, waving a hand in the air.

Suddenly, a rumbling noise came started to vibrate the room, making everyone turn to look at the source of the sound, the game tunnel.

"What _is_ that?" Ralph shouted over the noise, eyes wide and staring down at Vanellope when she spoke.

"They're here!" Vanellope said in a singsong voice.

All at once, dozens upon dozens of children from all different games burst through the door, running into the game and making the adults go into a frenzy. Koopalings jumped up onto the tables and knocked over glasses, Diddy Kong yelled at the top of his lungs to turn up the music, and the rest of the children swarmed into the bar, laughing and dancing.

"Woo hoo!" Vanellope squealed with glee and ran into the crowd, leaving Ralph standing open-mouthed with his arms hanging down at his sides.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi guys, sorry for the _really_ long wait, I had a terrible case of _writer's block_! Yes, the evil little gremlin under every writer's bed! (Hope I didn't just give everybody nightmares, haha) But anyways I was also at my cottage with my sister and there's _no_ internet up there so i couldn't update anyways :( But here it is, a brand new chapter just for u guys! :D Hope you enjoy, please ****favourite, follow, and most of all review!**

Ralph stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before him. None other than his best friend had suddenly transformed his peaceful night out with the guys into absolute chaos. He shook his head, snapping his mouth shut and set his eyes on the young president. Ralph set his lips in a thin, determined line and started his march toward her, ready to speak his mind and get all seven little brats out of there. Vanellope quickly spotted her friend, and waved to him with a proud, happy smile. Ralph sighed and continued his march forward; Vanellope obviously had no idea what she was getting herself, and her friends into.

"Having fun, Ralph?" Vanellope asked happily. She attempted to grab Ralph's arms and sway them around, trying to get him to dance. He pulled away abruptly, making her frown.

"How did all of these kids get here?" Ralph asked, glancing around at the dozens of children who were now dancing wildly. His eyes bugged open when he saw that even a few of the adults had started to dance with them as well.

"We spread the word," Vanellope said simply, shrugging her shoulders and smiling from ear-to-ear. "Oh look, the root beer!"

Ralph turned his head to follow the direction of Vanellope's pointed finger, and started in alarm. Four children, with the help of a few adults, were lugging a large barrel out of a small crawlspace.

"Root beer on the house, everyone!" Baby Mario cheered, grabbing a mug and filling it with the bubbly liquid.

"How on earth did you get into the root beer cellar!?" Ralph asked incredulously, blinking in surprise.

"I don't know… We're small; we can fit through the door. Tapper is a pretty small guy," Vanellope explained, giggling at the mention of Tapper's size.

"You need to leave now, Vanellope," Ralph said seriously, although he hated being stern with her. She was his best friend, and he never wanted her to be unhappy. But when she went and did something like breaking into a game and trying to take control, that was when he had to draw the line.

Vanellope furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, staring up at Ralph with an expression of confusion and disappointment. The look on her face made Ralph's heart sink, but he knew she had to leave, or there would be some major problems.

"You know what? No," Vanellope said stubbornly, "Maybe I'm _not_ one of your boring grown-up friends, and maybe I _don't_ understand all of your boring grown-up humor, but hiding away in the _one_ game in the arcade I'm not allowed in, Ralph!? If you were really _that_ desperate to get away from me, you could have just _said_ so!" Vanellope screeched, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

Ralph stared at her trembling form, unable to speak or move. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, searching desperately for words but finding none. He needed to say something, and he needed to say it fast.

"Vanellope, I-I…" Ralph stuttered, gesturing his large hands around frantically, "I just didn't want anything to _happen_ to you! You know that you guys being in here is going to cause some problems, I don't want you getting into-"

"_Everybody stay where you are_!"

"-trouble," Ralph breathed. Everyone's wide eyes were glued to the entrance of Tapper's. Five surge protectors stood in front of the door, each holding batons and tasers. The leader of the group stood in the front, eyes wild with anger as his gaze set upon Vanellope.

Vanellope gulped loudly, for this surge protector who was staring her down with a heated glare was the same one she had earlier tricked in Game Central Station.

"Uh-oh," she mumbled. She looked around frantically, searching for another way out since the surge protectors were blocking the entrance. She locked eyes with Taffyta, who shot her a sly, knowing smile. Vanellope nodded, and glanced at Ralph who shook his head furiously as if to say, 'Don't do it!' Vanellope knew there was only one way out of this, and she glanced around at the children who all nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Ralph watched the silent conversation go on for what felt like eons, but in reality was really only a few seconds.

Suddenly, Vanellope jabbed her finger at the surge protectors and shouted at the top of her lungs, "GET THEM!"

Every kid in the bar charged at the surge protectors, waving their arms in the air and startling the adults with their battle cries.

"GET THEM!" The lead surge protector shouted, and all five of them ran towards the herd of children, batons and tasers at the ready.

"Wait, wait, stop! GUYS!" Ralph shouted, but his efforts had no effect on the crowd of fighting figures before him. He tried his best to squeeze into the crowd to break up the brawl, but he was pushed out of the way by several people. He was lucky about his height, because at anything under seven or eight feet, he wouldn't have been able to see over the massive swarm of heads.

"Vanellope, look out!" Taffyta screeched, making raven-haired girl whip around. She came face-to-face with the lead surge protector, who raised his taser and glared menacingly down at her.

"Let's finish this," he snarled, and Vanellope let out an ear-piercing scream. This of course made Ralph turn his head sharply, and once he saw the events going on, he immediately felt his protective instinct for Vanellope and his strong, wrecking binary take over.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" He hollered, charging at them with his fists raised. Before the surge protector could even glance over his shoulder to see who had yelled, he was swept clean off his feet. In a matter of seconds his back collided with the wall, and he slid down slowly in a confused daze.

"Wow Stinkbrain, you really pack a punch," Vanellope said, and Ralph looked down at her. She seemed a little shaken, but he knew she was fine. If Vanellope ever stopped making lame jokes or being sarcastic however, _then_ would be the time to panic.

"H-he's on their side," the lead surge protector murmured to the others, pointing a shaky finger accusingly at Ralph, "Get him, too."

The little blue men began to close in on the Ralph and the children, and Ralph instinctively held Vanellope behind him. She squeezed her eyes shut and clamped onto his leg, heart pounding furiously as she waited for the worst.

"Don't just stand there everyone, let's help!"

Vanellope peeked her eyes open to see what was going on as a loud round of cheers and agreement belted out from the throng of adults. They charged at the surge protectors, and Vanellope finally released her death grip on Ralph's leg. She started to smile in disbelief, and she felt so grateful that everyone was willing to help.

"_C'mon_!" She cheered, and led the group of children back into battle.

"Vanellope, NO!" Ralph protested, trying to make a grab for the hood of her sweater to pull her back. He inhaled a sharp breath as Vanellope just barely slipped out of his reach and ran into the crowd.

"BAR FIGHT!" Zangief shouted with glee as he easily smashed a barstool over one of the surge protectors' head.

Vanellope quickly snatched a glass mug off of the counter and whipped it at the nearest surge protector, only to have him smash it in the air with his baton.

"Uh-oh," Vanellope mumbled, before jumping to the side as the wooden baton flew right by her head. She softened her fall by landing in a somersault, and quickly skittered on all fours to take cover behind one of the island countertops.

"Vanellope!"

The little president started and let out a small yelp of surprise before she looked to her left. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and held her hand over her heart, leaning back against the wall of the island.

"Oh, It's just you Taffyta," she breathed, "You scared the _skittles_ out of me!"

"Sorry," Taffyta shrugged. She too was leaning against the counter, hiding from the intimate objects that were currently being flung across the room.

On the other side of the room Felix sat stock still in his seat, too shocked to move or say anything. He only sat there with his eyes wide open and his jaw on the floor, eyes darting around curiously at the crazy sight in front of him. When he came here earlier he expected the night would be eventful, but not _this_ eventful. Suddenly Felix was plucked away from his thoughts and brought back to reality when he heard someone call out his name.

"FELIX, DUCK!" Gene shouted, waving his arms at Felix to try to snap him out of his little trance.

Felix let out small, startled noise as he whipped his head down towards the floor. He heard a crash above his head, and cautiously looked up. Root beer was spilling down the side of the wall, and glass shards covered the tabletop where he was sat. He slowly began to sit up, looking around frantically for any more incoming glasses.

"Alright," Felix said, an annoyed expression growing on his face as he stood up on the cushion of the booth, "_Who_ threw that?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Holy skittles, it's finally finished. Yes, this is going to be the last chapter of the story, and no, I really don't have any good excuses for posting it so late. I apologize for the time gap between the updates, but i've been busy and recently thinking of putting the poor thing to rest. But, as this was the final chapter, I decided to just suck it up and finish it. Now I know you're probably wondering why it's so short. Well, originally it was meant to be a one-shot, but I can never manage to make anything that short, and so I started separating parts of the story into chapters. So this is what we've ended up with, and even though it's a bit short I hope you all liked it and I will continue to create more stories for you guys! Maybe even a sequel to this, I'm not sure. I'll see what I can do. Please leave a review, because feedback always makes me happy, whether it be what i've done so far that was good, or what I can improve on, or anything really! I love to hear what you guys think. But for now, I've made this author's note long enough as it is, so here's your new and final chapter, enjoy all! :D**

A couple of nearby strangers pointed accusingly at a sheepish looking Zangief.

"What?" He asked with a shrug, his voice coated with his thick accent, "I am bad guy."

Felix narrowed his eyes and extended an arm out to the little man sitting beside him, "Hand me one of those pies, Gene."

Gene looked down longingly at the large plate of apple pies that Mary had so generously baked for them for their night out. He looked back up at Felix with a quizzical expression, before finally obeying the tiny landlord's wish and handed him a fresh, steaming pie. Without a word, Felix reared his arm back, and whipped the pie forward with as much force as he could muster. Zangief's eyes widened as the realization hit him, and he ducked down as fast as he could, the pie just barely grazed the top of his head. It landed with a loud _splat_ right in the middle of a familiar feminine; she had been standing behind Zangief and caught the bullet instead of him. Felix jumped up and down for joy on the booth cushion, laughing wildly and beaming brightly.

"Jiminy-jaminy, I _did_ it-_haha_-I really _did_ it! Oh, the aim was just _perfect_! Tammy would be _so_ proud," he chimed excitedly. But after a moment his eyes landed on the real target, and his heart skipped a couple of beats. Princess Daisy stood with her hands suspended in the air, mouth hanging open in shock. She wiped the pie from her eyes in an agonizingly slow motion, making Felix gulp and wring his hands nervously as he tried to think of something to say.

"So, you wanna play with pie, do ya?" Daisy suddenly piped up through grit teeth, she scowled at Felix and slowly sauntered over to a nearby table. Another fresh pie had been left there, forgotten due to the brawl that had broken out in the bar just minutes earlier. She carefully picked it up, the corner of her mouth hooking in a mischievous smirk. "Okay, I can play with pie now!"

Without warning, and before anyone could say a word, the pie was flying through the air at top speed in Felix's direction. He yelped in surprise, but wasn't quick enough to move out of it's dangerous path. It was a direct hit; the pie collided with the centre of his face and knocked him clean off his feet, seeing as he didn't weigh much.

"Bull's-eye!" Daisy cheered in triumph, raising her fist in the air happily.

"Wait, stop, _stop_!" Vanellope suddenly screeched. She was stood on the same countertop she had been standing on at the beginning of the night to announce their presence, her hands were up in the air to signal everyone to stop what they were doing. Yet the fighting continued, the sounds of smashing glass and people shouting echoed around the large room. "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

The whole room suddenly froze; people stood stock still in their positions as they trained their eyes to the president attentively. She heaved a grateful, relieved sigh, and lowered her arms. Her expression was one of sadness and annoyance, and she glanced around at the people in the bar, mainly her friends. Taffyta and Princess Peach were both crying wildly together over the stains on their pink outfits, Ralph held a chair over his head angrily, ready to bring it down upon a soldier from Hero's Duty, and Candlehead was furiously yanking on Gloyd's hair as a result of him quite purposely extinguishing her candle.

"Now, when we came here today, it's true we wanted to shake this place up a bit," Vanellope started, looking down on everyone with a stern expression and her hands on her hips. "But I _never_ thought it would come to this. What is _wrong_ with you people? Mainly _you_." She pointed her finger sharply at the lead surge protector, who raised his eyebrows inquisitively. "If you wanted us to leave all you had to do was _ask_, but _no_, you just _had_ to barge in here with your weapons and your bad attitudes and make a scene. All we wanted was to have a little fun, and even share that with you old people, no offense. So what's the big whoop? Seriously, what?"

There were a few sheepish, maybe even regretful looks that Vanellope received as she continued, "Look, even _I_ know that this has gotten _way_ out of hand. So…if us just being here is going to cause _this_ much trouble, we'll just leave." Vanellope shrugged sadly, and as the few measly moments of silence enveloped her, she realized she wasn't going to hear any protests against that statement. She sighed sadly, and hopped down from her spot on the counter. "Sorry to ruin your evening. Come on, guys."

She began to lead her friends out of the bar, along with the other children they had invited along. Her head hung sadly as she and the others slowly trudged across the cold, tile floor; the adults' eyes were forever trained on the kids as they left. They had almost reached the door, and Vanellope wanted nothing more than to run through it, all the way back to Sugar Rush and never leave the game again. She had walked into that place with good intentions, to help the adults learn what it meant to have fun. But as she looked around, eyes darting between broken tables, smashed glasses, and root beer dripping everywhere, the sad realization that no one had actually experienced the fun she'd planned hit her. She hung her head once again, eyes glued to the floor in embarrassment as she felt the surge protector's stare. They watched the children leave, eying them wearily and slowly and hesitantly put away their weapons.

"Wait!"

Vanellope's head whipped up with a start, her eyes darted around for the source of the sudden voice. In an instant she spotted a familiar figure rushing towards her, and her mouth turned slightly upward in a confused, yet hopeful smile. The bad-anon group member stopped in his tracks when he came face-to face with Vanellope, and he looked down at her with a reassuring smile.

"Look, little girl, I know you think you made mess here…" Zangief started, kneeling down to her eye level. "But honestly, this has been most fun Zangief is having in weeks!" He laughed heartily, and Vanellope stood frozen on the spot with her eyebrows raised, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"You…_what_?" She finally managed to squeak, eyeing the people around her in confusion.

"I-it _was_ kind of fun to throw that pie," Felix chimed, shrugging in a shy and nervous way. "Gave me a bit of a rush, actually."

"And I've never been in a fight before," Daisy added, "That's Mario and Luigi's thing but…it was pretty thrilling."

"You see?" Zangief said, standing up and returning to his normal, scaling height. "Who votes for children to stay? Raise hands."

Vanellope slumped her head into her hand in defeat; she knew no one would want them to stay after this. The surge protector gazed at everyone in silent protest, he couldn't let just anyone take charge like Zangief was boldly doing, and there certainly wasn't going to be a vote on the matter.

"I do."

"_What_?" The voices of Vanellope and the surge protector chimed in unison. They both stared around as more and more people began to raise their hands confidently, smiling as though they had just been to the fair.

"I do."

"Me too."

"I'm having fun."

"Let them stay!"

A chorus of different voices began to cheer out to the surge protector; they knew only he had the final say. Soon the whole room was chanting loudly, "Let them stay! Let them stay!"

"Alright, alright!" The surge protector finally growled, an irritated scowl taking over his features. Everyone silently stared at him expectantly, and he sighed, holding the bridge of his nose in defeat. "They can stay."

"Woohoo!" The children cheered, high-fiving each other happily.

"Thanks Surge, buddy," Vanellope giggled, patting him on the shoulder and earning an annoyed grunt from him in return. "That would have been a really embarrassing exit."

The children ran back into the room happily, the adults invited them into their company with ease as all the gamers began to talk and mingle as though there was never a commotion at all. The surge protector however, stayed weary of the situation, taser easily accessible as he hesitantly sat himself down at one of the small tables near the back of the room. Vanellope stood still near the door, smiling triumphantly at the scene before her, all earlier tension and anger had flooded from the room the second the surge protector had allowed them to stay. There was a new happy, cheerful air about everyone as they chatted and helped themselves to the barrels full of root beer that had been left out and forgotten during the fight.

"Nice job, Vin," Taffyta suddenly chimed, causing the raven-haired racer to start in surprise. She looked sharply to her left, where her best friend was currently standing with an arm draped around her shoulders. She beamed at Vanellope, a sincere and happy smile. "You did good."

"Hey Taffyta, come have some cake!" Candlehead could be heard hollering to the pink-clad racer from the main island counter in the centre of the room. She was sat there with Jubileena, Gloyd, and Rancis, carefully taking the cover off of a large pink cake Taffyta had baked before they came. Taffyta's eyes widened immediately, and Vanellope swore she could see a bit of drool escape her mouth. She began to rush over to the others, before stopping and glancing over her shoulder to Vanellope one last time.

"You coming Vin?" Taffyta asked, waving her hand in a motion that signaled for Vanellope to join her and the others. The tiny president opened her mouth to answer, when she caught a glimpse of a familiar hulking figure in red sauntering towards her in her peripheral. She felt a happy grin tug at her lips, and she waved to Taffyta signaling that she would be with them in a few moments. Taffyta nodded twice in understanding, before merrily skipping away to get her hands on a piece of that cake. Her goodies were always the best, if she did say so herself, and after Vanellope urged her for months to share her baking abilities with the others, Taffyta finally caved, and they had most definitely agreed that they were delicious.

"Hey Squirt," Ralph barked, though he wore a serene smile on his face as he reached his friend, easily plucking her off the ground by the hood of her sweater and placing her gently on her usual perch on his right shoulder. "That was really big of you, offering to leave like that. Although you know you probably shouldn't have come at all, right?"

"Aw, come on Ralphie, gimme a break," Vanellope scoffed, waving a hand dismissively as she shot the wrecker a look. "Rules are meant to be broken, we just beat everyone to the punch. And besides, everyone said they had fun with it, so what's the harm?"

"You know what I mean," Ralph chuffed, looking Vanellope sternly in the eye. Vanellope sighed.

"I just wanted to be with you guys," she said softly, breaking the gaze between them and set her eyes on the floor. "I felt so left out, and I just wanted to be a part of your fun night… Sorry if I ruined it."

"Of course you didn't," Ralph said gently after a moment, making Vanellope's attention snap back onto his forgiving expression, a smile slowly making it's way across her face.

"Really?"

"Really! I understand that you wanted to feel like part of the group, just, promise me one thing," Ralph said, the two caught eyes once again as Vanellope waited anxiously for his request. "You won't break into anymore games just to hang out with me."

Vanellope laughed loudly and lightly shoved on the side of his head, though he barely stumbled from the tiny push.

"Don't flatter yourself Stinkbrain," she said in mock-annoyance, rolling her eyes, yet she couldn't force down the grin that was quickly spreading.

"Well, it looks like your little plans worked out anyway," Ralph chuckled, his eyes wandered around the room at the many gamers who danced, chat, ate, and drank together as they mingled and socialized. "Looks like everyone is having lots of fun."

"I'm just glad we were allowed to stay, although I'm pretty sure ol' grumpy-pants over there is never gonna let us back in here after tonight," Vanellope laughed, motioning with one hand to the lead surge protector who still sat stock still in his seat, eyes darting around cautiously. "Man, that guy never takes a break, does he?"

"At least you have tonight to spend with us, and hey, you got free root beer out of it, right?" Ralph shrugged as he locked his eyes on the large barrels, people lined up behind them to fill their mugs with the bubbly substance.

"Absolutely," Vanellope giggled, sending a small, reassuring wave to her friends who had once again tried to flag her down. "Lots of free root beer! Now we better go over there before they come and drag us by our hair, namely Taffyta."

Ralph heaved a hearty chuckle, and began to walk over to the small group of racers, a few of which were happily munching on strawberry shortcake. Vanellope hopped off of Ralph's shoulder, making a perfect landing on the floor near a barstool, after which she easily climbed up and began helping herself to some cake as well. The music was upbeat, setting a happier, and more lively feeling about the place; thanks to Swizzle who continued to mix the tunes and keep a steady rhythm. After some of the adults had grouped together to clear the mess of broken objects off the floor, it was creatively transformed into a makeshift dance floor. There were tons of happy faces that swarmed the building, and Vanellope couldn't help but grin once again at her handiwork.

"You see? Now this is party!" Zangief suddenly shouted from the dance floor, slowly making his way to the bar to join Ralph and the others. "Tapper should be thanking little girl in ponytail."

"Hey, where is Tapper anyways?" Ralph pondered, glancing around curiously as if he could easily find him that way. "I haven't seen him around since you guys got here."

Taffyta and Vanellope shared a look, both had eyes widened to the size of saucers as the sudden memory of a certain bartender locked in a closet hit them like a punch in the gut. How they could forget about a thing like that, they didn't know, but one thing was for sure; they definitely had some serious explaining to do. Realizing they were both thinking the same thing, the girls turned their worried, knowing glances away from each other and stared blankly at Ralph. As if it had been planned, that or they could read each other's minds, Vanellope and Taffyta's voices came out in hoarse, mumbling unison.

"Oh sugar."


End file.
